1. Field
The present disclosure relates to an organic photoconductor, an electrophotographic apparatus including the organic photoconductor, and a process cartridge including the organic photoconductor.
2. Description of the Related Art
An organic photoconductor (OPC) has advantages of (1) excellent optical characteristics in terms of a wide wavelength range of optical absorption and a large extent of optical absorption, (2) electrical characteristics in terms of high sensitivity and stable charging properties, (3) selection of various materials, and (4) ease of manufacture with low costs. The OPC having these advantages has been used to replace an inorganic photoconductor used in a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a laser printer a multifunction printer thereof, and the like.
Recently, there have been many requests to increase the operating speed of an image forming apparatus, provide a maintenance-free image forming apparatus, as well as a photoconductor with high durability. The OPC of the related art mainly includes a low molecular charge transporting material and a high molecular material, such as polycarbonate. When the OPC of the related art is used in a soft and repetitive manner during an electrophotographic process, a surface of the photoconductor and a cleaning blade are worn down due to mechanical stress caused by a developing or cleaning system of the photoconductor. Also, there have been many requests for granulation of toner particles in terms of high definition quality, as well as for improvement of the cleaning properties of the OPC. In this regard, trials for increasing a rubber hardness of the cleaning blade and a pressure on a contact surface of the cleaning blade have been made. However, in this case, a frictional resistance between the surface of the photoconductor and the cleaning blade increases so that a reverse motion of the cleaning blade or abnormal squealing sound may readily occur. In addition, in the trials, abrasion of the surface of the photoconductor occurs, and thus, scratches are more likely to occur on the surface of the photoconductor.
Due to the abrasion of the surface of the photoconductor, a thickness of layers in the photoconductor may be reduced. Such reduction in the thickness of layers may affect a contact pressure with respect to the cleaning blade, which may result in poor wiping of the cleaning blade. In addition, when scratches are made on the surface of the photoconductor, toner particles may be caught in the scratches, which may cause electrical hazards. Accordingly, a decrease in a sensitivity and electric charge of the photoconductor may occur as well as a decrease in an image density or generation of an abnormal image. In addition, topical scratches may also cause image defects, such as stripe stains, due to poor cleaning properties.
Thus, to obtain stable images over a long period of time, it is important to maintain excellent cleaning properties of the photoconductor by suppressing a time-dependent increase in the frictional resistance of the surface thereof, and at the same time, to improve a resistance against abrasion of or scratch on the surface of the photoconductor. There still remains a need for a material which would address the above issues.